Introduction to Cantonese Opera by Dr Tai Suk-yan (Learning and teaching material for teachers’ reference) History and Traditions of Cantonese Opera According to the research conducted by Prof. Chan Sau Yan, early history of Cantonese opera can be traced to the 51st year of in the reign of Qing Emperor Qianlong (1786 A.D.). Opera performance activities took place in the Temple of Tianhou in Yuen Long in the New Territories of Hong Kong (Chan Sau Yan, 2007:1). Until the late 1920s, the traditional repertoire “Baoyu Cries for Daiyu”, staged by Chu Chi Pak (?-1922), transformed the performing dialect and singing style from guanhua to baihua and from guqiang to pingqiang respectively. Gradually in the 1930s, the Guangzhou dialect (Cantonese) became the official performing dialect. During the 1930s, “Sit and Ma vying for supremacy” appeared on the Cantonese operatic stage and lasted for nine years. Sit Kok Sin (1904-1956) established Juexiansheng Troupe and Juexiansheng Nannu Troupe while Ma Si Tsang (1900-1964) organized Taiping Troupe, presenting such classic Cantonese operas such as Time to Go Home, A Charming Smile, Prince of Thieves and Pity the Poor Girl. After Hong Kong was occupied by the Japanese in 1941, Cantonese opera performances continued. However, it could not compare with the golden period of the 1930s. In 1949, with the end of the Second World War, an entire generation of well-known Cantonese opera scriptwriters, musicians and performers came into being, all of whom greatly contributed to the later development of the genre in Hong Kong. Scriptwriters included Lee Siu Wan (1916-ca. 2002), Chan Kwun Hing (1920-2003), Tong Tik Sang (1917-1959) and Poon Yat Fan (1922-1985); and musicians included Wong Yuet Sang (1919-1989), Chu Ngai Kong (1922-1981) and Lam Siu Lau (1917-1979), etc. Actors and actresses active during that period were Yu Lai Zhen (1923-2004), Sun Ma Si Tsang (1916-1997), Chan Kam Tong (1906-1981), Lan Chi Pak (1905-1992), Wong Chin Sui (?-1993), Fong Yim Fun (b. 1929), Ho Fei Fan (1919-1980), Hung Sin Nui (b. 1927), Yam Kim Fai (1913-1989), Pak Suet Sin (b. 1928), Ng Kwan Lai (b. 1930), Fung Wong Nui (1925-1992), Lam Kar Sing (b. 1933) and Leung Sing Boh (1908-1981), etc. Many operas created during this period became repertoire classics and continue to be staged now such as Goddess of the Luo River (April 1956, featuring Fong Yim Fun, Chan 1 Kam Tong & Wong Chin Sui), An Interrupted Dream in the Peony Pavilion (November 1956, featuring Yam Kim Fai and Pak Suet Sin), The Floral Princess (June 1957, featuring Yam Kim Fai and Pak Suet Sin), The Purple Hairpin (August 1957, featuring Yam Kim Fai and Pak Suet Sin), The Moon Pavilion (January 1958, staged by Ng Kwan Lai and Ho Fei Fan), The Reunion by a White Hare (June 1958, staged by Ng Kwan Lai and Ho Fei Fan), Dream of the West Chamber (September 1958, featuring Yam Kim Fai and Pak Suet Sin) and The Reincarnation of Lady Plum Blossom (September 1959, featuring Yam Kim Fai and Pak Suet Sin), etc. From 1962 to the 1980s, Dalongfeng Troupe headed by Mak Bing Wing and Fung Wong Nui staged the premieres of A Dream in Yangzhou (1960, co-written by Tsui Tsi Long [1936-1965] and Lau Yuet Fung [1919-2003]) and The Princess in Distress (1962, co-written by Tsui Tsi Long and Lau Yuet Fung). Lam Kar Sing and Chan Ho Kau were featured in the premiere of The Sounds of Battle (1962, co-written by Tsui Tsi Long and Lau Yuet Fung) and Merciless Sword Under Merciful Heaven (1963, co-written by Tsui Tsi Long and Lau Yuet Fung). Lam also premiered Beauty in Disguise (1973, written by Lee Siu Wan) and The Emperor's Lost Love (1988, written by Yip Shiu Tuck) with Ng Kwan Lai and Lee Bo Ying respectively. Cantonese operas currently staged in Hong Kong are mostly the works dating from the 1950s. Actors and actresses active on stage now include Lam Kam Tong, Mui Suet Si, Koi Ming Fai, Ng Mei Ying, Yuen Siu Fai, Nam Fung, Wan Fai Yin, Loong Koon Tin, Sun Kim Long, Lee Lung, Law Kar Ying and Liza Wang, etc. Cantonese Opera: Style and Aesthetics Wang Guowei has defined xiqu as “story-telling through singing and dancing”. Cantonese opera is a comprehensive multi-disciplinary artform through vocal music performances (changqiang and nianbai), instrumental music and dancing to tell a story. Among all the concepts of xiqu, “shou, yan, shen, fa, bu”, “chang, zuo, nian, da” and “sheng, se, yi”, luzi (budaozi), luyi, daozi and daoyi are essential elements for understanding the style and characteristics of Cantonese opera. “Shou, yan, shen, fa, bu” are the five performing techniques employed in Chinese xiqu, also known as wufa (five techniques). The first four techniques refer to hand gestures, eye expressions, body gestures, footworkfooting accordingly, and the last refers to overall 2 manipulation. “Chang, zuo, nian, da” are the basic requirements of a xiqu performer. “Chang” refers to an actor’s changqiang. He has to sing with different changqiang to match with different xingdang (role types) he plays, such singing styles include pinghou, zihou and dahou. “Zuo” refers to the skills of the performer in bodily movement and hand gestures, as well as the acting and emotional expressions required on stage. “Nian” refers to nianbai, which means recitation. It constitutes spoken narration in xiqu. Yet the manner of delivery is different from our daily life, it is more musical and rhythmic. Examples of nianbai are koubai, kougu, shibai and bailan, etc. “Da” refers to the acrobatic fights featured in Cantonese operas, including bazigong (with weapons) and tanzigong (without weapons). “Sheng, se, yi” are the yardsticks in assessing Cantonese opera actors; referring to their vocal ability, stage appearance and artistry respectively. When an actor’s shuobai and singing are clearly delivered to the audience, it is known as luzi; otherwise, it is called daozi. If the actor succeeds in luzi, he is able to articulate the story and its message to the audience; otherwise, it is called daoyi. The appreciation of Chinese xiqu centres around suggestive dance-like gestures, exaggerated movements and level of abstraction. On stage, xiqu actors have to perform various dance-like gestures, wearing painted-faces with exaggerated colors and lines, also presenting abstract movements representing different times and spaces, such as going up and down a staircase, or opening and closing doors. Xingdang in Cantonese Opera Xingdang or jiaose refer to the different role types in traditional xiqu according to sex, age, status and personalities of the stage characters. Traditionally, there are five xingdang: sheng (male characters), dan (female characters), jing (also known as huamian, with strong and distinctive personalities), mo (old male characters) and chou (comic characters). Initially, Cantonese opera xingdang classification was similar to other genres: sheng, dan, jing, mo and chou. Before the 1930s, there were ten major xingdang. By the 1950s, liuzhuzhi (six-pillar system) was firmly established. Each opera features six major actors/actresses including wenwusheng, xiaosheng, zhengyin huadan, erbang huadan, zhengyin chousheng and zhengyin wusheng. 3 Figure 1 Wenwusheng (6th March 2012, photo by Leung Yu Hang) Figure 2 Zhengyin huadan (5th March 2010, Sheung Shui Kam Tsin Village, photo by Dr Tai Suk-yan) Notation, Music, Mode and Instrumental Ensemble in Cantonese Opera Dingban constitutes the system of symbols that comprise the gongchepu, which is the musical notation used in Cantonese opera, where beats and rhythms are marked alongside of the lyrics. Popular dingban symbols used nowadays are zhengban “X”, diban “X”, zhengding “、” and diding “└”. The following are various combinations of dingban: 4 1. With dingban (with a steady beat) Yiban sanding: e.g., baziju erhuang manban Erhuang manban consists of yiban sanding. The example below is selected from the first scene of The Floral Princess, sung by pinghou solo in quick tempo. After taking out chenzi, the phrase is divided into three dun with four, two, two words in each dun respectively, as follows: Comma 1 Comma 2 Comma 3 × 、 、 ∟ × ∟ 、 ∟× 、 ∟∟ ×∟∟ ∟ Line 1 瑤 池 俗客， 只 配， 凰 遊 Line 2 公 主 一言， 君 皇， 回 奏。 Music Example 1 Baziju erhuang manban, from the first scene of The Floral Princess Yiban yiding: e.g., fanxian shiziju shigong zhongban The selected example shiziju fanxian zhongban is taken from the first scene of The Princess in Distress, sung by pinghou solo in yiban yiding. After taking out chenzi, each phrase consists of ten regular words, divided into four dun with three, 5 three, two, two words in each dun respectively, as follows: Comma 1 Comma 2 Comma 3 Comma 4 × 、 × 、 × ∟ × 、 × ∟ × 、 × 、 × ∟ Line 1 半 含悲， 為歡笑， 顧 影， 自慚 Line 2 貴 懸殊， 玉金枝， 王 侯， 青盼。 Music Example 2 Fanxian shiziju shigong zhongban from the first scene of The Princess in Distress Liushuiban: e.g., qiziqing zhongban The selected example is taken from the second scene of The Floral Princess, sung by pinghou. The qiziqing zhongban sung is composed of only ban, no ding, as follows: × × × × × Line 1 宮 中 悶 飲 嘆 時艱 6 Music Example 3 Qiziqing zhongban from the second scene of The Floral Princess 2. Sanban (without dingban and without steady beats) E.g. shigong gunhua Gunhua is sung in sanban, which means without dingban. Thus, chenzi can be inserted in different places so as to create variations in the structure. This example is taken from the third scene of The Reincarnation of Lady Plum Blossom. It belongs to ougouti, consisting of fourteen words: First half Second half Line 1 不請自來堂上客， 惹人疑惑在心間 Line 2 目光如炬察秋毫， 何以今時全相反。 Music Example 4 Shigong gunhua from the third scene of The Reincarnation of Lady Plum Blossom Gongchepu is the adopted musical notation in Chinese xiqu, and that used in Cantonese opera consists of the following puzi: he, shi, yi, shang, che, gong, fan and liu.